The Spanish women’s U18 basketball team has secured a spot in the medal fight after defeating Serbia (65-89) in the quarterfinals of the European Championship, currently being held in La Palma. Their opponent in the semifinals will be France, another major powerhouse in European youth basketball, which defeated Italy 72-34.
Mireya Sanz and Leyre Urdiain came out strong, combining for a 3-11 run. Spain closed the first quarter with a 13-point lead (10-23), and a three-pointer from Mireya stretched the advantage to +20 (21-41). Serbia managed to cut the deficit slightly (28-41), but the win was never in doubt. The game reached halftime with an 18-point lead (28-46) after a 2+1 play by Movistar Estudiantes center Sara Okeke, who dominated the paint, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. The host team, boasting the tournament’s best offense (76.8 points per game), once again approached 50 points in the first half, shooting 50% from three (6/12, eventually 8/22) and dominating the boards (22 rebounds to Serbia’s 14).
The second half began with a Serbian reaction, as they cut the lead to ten after a 10-2 run (38-48), but Spain proved superior and quickly regained control: a basket by Adriana Díaz pushed the lead to +22 (48-70), and Spain closed the third quarter ahead by 20 (50-70). 
The game was Spain’s from that point. Noelia Mouriño extended the lead to 30 (54-84), and Torralba distributed minutes in preparation for Saturday’s battle against France. In the end, Spain won by 24 points, matching their 89-point performance against the Czech Republic, their best scoring output of the tournament. Besides Okeke (18), three other players reached double figures: Leyre Urdiain (13), Mireya Sanz (11), and Aina Cargol (10).
